Adachi to Shimamura - Volume 6 - Chapter 0

Chapter 0 – Bittersweet Memories

"You must always face things head on. If you don't, you won't be able to be true to yourself." 
That was something a middle school teacher whose name I could no longer remember had told me. While certainly a good piece of advice, I couldn't help but feel like it'd come too late. You see, the me back then wasn't the same person I'd once been. Instead, I more resembled a perfectly smooth rock, polished by the flow of the river in which it sat. You could say that I never hesitated nor stumbled, or if you wanted to be mean about it for some reason, that I didn't have any connections to hold me in place. Swiftly, time continued to flow. 
That was the sort of person I'd ended up growing to be. 
There was no singular event, no impetus to which my change could be traced down to. I'd simply moved from elementary to middle school and found myself surrounded by people who pushed way past the limits of what human relations ought to be like. Even now, I still viewed what I had done as nothing more than a form of adaptation. 
Whereas good, virtuous thoughts were something anyone could easily recognize, the negative ones, those had a tendency to sneak into your mind. Given this, it was often difficult for the most innocent of people—that was to say, children—to have any sort of resistance towards them, causing their overall situation to slowly get worse and worse. Furthermore, given that it was they themselves who had caused that to happen in the first place, no one would be kind enough to feel sympathy for them, to offer them a helping hand. I could only imagine what a painful experience that might be. Thankfully, I never had to experience it myself. 
You see, it was quite early that I came to this conclusion and chose to close up my heart, thus avoiding being hurt. 
While doing so did make it impossible for negative thoughts to sneak in, it also meant that nothing was able to get out. I could feel myself slowly grow unable to display interest towards what was around me. And yet, I didn't mind; I found the lack of mental fatigue that usually came with having to deal with attachment more pleasant than anything. Thus, I became a part of the flow. 
That was neither a good nor a bad thing in my mind, but rather, how the world was. Its natural state. 
When the sun begins shining intensely, you start feeling warm, and as winter approaches, you start feeling cold. 
Things before me kept on changing. And yet, I didn't. I remained mostly the same as ever. 
This went to explain why I never really questioned myself, my being, who I was as a person. 
After all, why would I? I was going to stay like I was for the rest of my life anyway. 
That was what I thought. 

There was no reason for me to change. I was good the way I was. I really did think that. 
Whether I met someone, whether I failed, whether my dreams and hopes grew distant, none of that mattered. 
As there was no point to chasing after anything, I figured that I might as well cast down my eyes and wait, wait for the pain and regret to fade away, for me to return to my usual self. That was exactly what I did, simply stood still and allowed things to pass me by. 
And yet, all of that changed when I met Shimamura. No longer was I allowed to simply ignore what was happening around me. 
No longer could I stay the way I was. I had to change. 
All of the stability I'd managed to build up vanished in an instant. 
I didn't have a place to stay anymore, somewhere I could feel content. Instead, I was left to constantly move forward. 
The progress wasn't smooth, and rather than being carried by the flow, I had to travel down it one stroke at a time. 
All because I wanted to get closer to the beauty before me. 
That had gotten me where I was now; putting all of my thoughts and feelings into one place, I decided to go ahead and ask Shimamura to come hang out. Unfortunately, her reaction wasn't quite what I had hoped for... 
"Huh? Sorry, not possible." 
Swiftly, she pushed her hand out in front of her and shook it from side to side. 
It really did feel like I'd just been punched in the gut. I stared at her, confused, prompting Shimamura to explain herself: 
"Oh, no, it's because we're going over to my grandparents' house. You know, the Obon festival." 
That was a perfectly respectable reason, no doubt about it. Really, if you were to list out all the possible things she could've said in terms of how valid they were, this one would've been near the top. Easily. I was also able to sigh in relief; it wasn't the case that I had been personally rejected. 
So, visiting your parents during Obon, huh? While I did know that was a custom, being someone with very weak connections to their relatives, it wasn't something I'd personally had much experience with. 
"I see..." 
I really should've called her first before coming here. I knew that was the right way to handle these situations. And yet, I couldn't do so; I was far too scared of my phone to even touch it. 
The earlier exchange had sown a seed of hesitation somewhere deep in my core. 
Plus, I had to admit, there was a side to me which felt a little satisfied being able to see her face. It made me calm. 
"Yep. Also, we're leaving today, so." 
"Right... I guess that makes sense, given the timing and all..." 
With nothing worthwhile to add, I was left to simply nod along. Also—and this is totally unrelated to everything—the shirt Shimamura was wearing was covered in drawings representing eggs. They were all cracked, but instead of egg yolk, what poured out from inside them were animals of all sorts of different species. Where did they sell shirts like that? Not at Shimamura, I would assume. 
"How many nights are you staying?" I decided to go ahead and ask, all the while wiping my palms clean of sweat. 
"The planned length of the stay is three nights and four days." 
Why did she choose to make her voice sound like that of a tour guide on a bus? I had no idea. Whatever the case, it did seem fitting. The way she turned her palms outwards, too. 
"I see. Well then, in four days, do you mind if... if I come by again?" I asked her, my voice trembling. Shimamura nodded her head slightly. 
"Sure, that's fine." 
Having stated that, she then went on to glance at my face. My expression was apparently quite telling, as quickly, she added the following: 
"Don't worry, I'll call you once I get back." 
"I'll be waiting." 
I really did mean that. I would be thinking about it constantly. Heck, if it was up to me, I'd stay in her room and wait for her there, all so that I'd get to see her ever so slightly faster. 
My mind continued to race with thoughts of that sort. Meanwhile, Shimamura remained as she was, her gaze bouncing between my forehead and neck. It almost looked like she was observing me. Why? Was something wrong? I froze up completely, only for her to turn around and walk back inside. Seriously, what was going on? I didn't have to wait for long to find out, as a few moments later, she returned, this time holding something in her hands. 
A bottle of mineral water and an ice cream, to be precise. 
"Since you went out of your way to come here. Wait, that's not right... Calling it a consolation prize kinda has a bad ring to it, doesn't it?" 
Still holding up the two items, Shimamura tilted her head to the side. 
"A reward so that you come again? No, that's even worse... A reward since it's so hot outside? Now that one doesn't even make any sense..." 
Just like that, she begun dissecting her sentence, scrutinizing what she'd just said in far more detail than was necessary. This was something I'd noticed about her; though usually very loose and relaxed in her approach to life, she did have a real tendency to get hung up on the weirdest things. I was like that too in a lot of ways. 
"Well, not like it really matters. Here you go", Shimamura stated, putting an end to the whole thing. A smile then appeared on her face as she handed me the two rewards (Was that a good term? Not sure). 
Instantly, I could feel a surge of heat hit me around the eyes. 
This was hardly something which deserved such a dramatic reaction, and yet, I simply couldn't help myself. 
I had no lid to speak of. It was for this exact reason I found myself so drawn in by Shimamura. And not just some part of her, but rather, her entire being. 
The whole situation came as shock to me. I didn't know what to say. I was stuck, unable to move. Thankfully, as Shimamura apparently didn't find my behaviour odd—or at least not odd enough to ask questions—I was left with ample time to fix my expression first before accepting the water and ice cream. They were both just as cold as you might have expected, offering sweet comfort to my palms—once again covered in sweat. 
"Careful now. The ice cream is going to melt if you clutch it that hard." 
Huh? Really? Panicking, I hurried to loosen my grip, nearly dropping the frozen treat in the process. 
It was honestly a miracle that I managed to save it. 
"Thanks", I stated while holding the bottle and ice cream next to my face, prompting Shimamura to lightly shake her hand: 
"No, no. It's no big deal." 
Immediately after she'd said this her parents walked out from inside the building. Knowing my time had come, I hung my head, gave her a quick "goodbye", and turned away. I'd barely left the premises of their house when the realisation finally came to me. 
No longer could I as much as perceive the ongoing heat wave; those sensations had been taken over by the warmth I felt talking with Shimamura. 
And yet, there was some cold as well. I was mainly referring to her kindness, her consideration to my feelings which lingered on my hands. 
I went ahead and held up the plastic bottle. 
Something about staring through the clear liquid inside which brought my mind straight back to the second floor of the sports hall. 
That was where it had all begun. As if every single cell in my body had been replaced, a new me was born. 
I held no lingering attachments towards my past self. 
You might as well purge my mind clean of what I was like in the past. None of that mattered to me. Not one bit. 
All I cared about was the current me, the me of tomorrow getting closer to Shimamura. 
Removing the bottle's cap, I took a sip of the mineral water. 
I wasn't doing so to indulge in memories. Rather, my goal was to offer vitality for the new me. 
Slowly but steadily, the liquid filled my mouth. 

Looking after Adachi as she walked away, I found myself wondering, was celebrating Obon not a custom in her household? She certainly did have the aura of a city person about her. What did I mean by that? Well, to put it simply, it always felt to me like she would be right at home surrounded by bars of reinforced steel. You know, pale, cleanly, cold. 
Living without any contact to the land. 
Hmm... Steel bars... Those had a tendency to get pretty hot. And so did she. A pretty big stretch, I'll admit, but in a weird way, it kinda fit. 
"Get yourself ready. We're leaving in just a bit." 
"Yeah, yeah", I replied to Mom. I then returned to my room, only to find Yashiro busy eating a stick ice cream on my bed. Was it one of ours? Or was it something she'd brought with her? Whatever the case, she sure seemed to be enjoying it. I couldn't help but spend the next few moments staring at her. There was something very soothing about the sight, her hair even more dazzling than the ice cream. That calmness was very much temporary, however, as soon, another thought passed through my mind: What did she think she was doing on my bed? I quickly moved to grab the girl by the nape of her neck. 
Just one of my slender arms was more than capable of lifting her up. Her arms and legs desperately swinging in air, Yashiro turned her gaze towards me. 
"What is the matter, Shimamura?" 
"I thought we had a deal. No sweets in bed." 
"We did? I don't remember anything of the sort." 
"Oh, maybe it was my sister then. Well, whatever. That goes for you too starting from today."  

I made sure to carry her outside my bed before releasing her. Now free, Yashiro instantly leaned against me, using my legs almost like the back of a chair. This left me unable to move, and as I sat down, she wasted to time no get between my legs. It was quite warm even inside, and yet, for some reason, having her right next to me didn't make me feel the slightest bit sultry. As I'd recently discovered, that was always the case with her. Why? I wasn't quite sure. If anything, I was left feeling slightly refreshed thanks to her blueish colour scheme. 
With a wide grin on her face, Yashiro took the ice cream she'd just been eating and held it out to me. 
"Would you like a bite?" 
"Sure." 
I decided to accept her offer. I was already anticipating it to be so based on the colour of its core, but taking a bite, I discovered that the ice cream was strawberry flavoured. 
"How sweet." 
"Isn't it?" 
For whatever reason, Yashiro sounded really proud of herself as she said that. Also, now that I thought about it, wasn't the one I gave to Adachi also strawberry? 
Adachi and Shimamura: Strawberry Flavour. 
"......" 
Wouldn't be all that different from how it was now, I didn't think. 
Anyway, putting that topic aside, I went ahead and gripped Yashiro's cheeks. 
"Hmm..." 
Her cheeks were ridiculously soft. Stretching them, I continued staring at the girl. 
In some sense, she really might have been the one person I got along with the easiest. Hanging out with her... felt like it came with no baggage, no strings attached? I could just do it whenever I wanted and things would naturally sort themselves out? For better or worse, our relationship was perfectly casual. Someone had once commented that she resembled me, and I had to wonder, was this where that similarity was found? 
While the girl did always have a wide, innocent grin on her face and acted quite sociably, I couldn't shake the feeling that was merely a front. Hmm, wait... That probably wasn't the best way to put it... In any case, the impression I got from her was that nothing she did was planned out, as if she was simply coming up with things on whim to see what would happen. 
Thinking about it some more, that might have been the essence of what having a carefree personality was all about. 
"Hohhu hoo." 
What was she trying to say? I couldn't tell. Even so, I had to say, her cheeks sure were stretchy. I couldn't feel any bones, no matter how deep I poked my fingers. 
All that was transmitted to me through her cheeks was the coldness of the ice cream she was enjoying. 
"Ah, Yachii. When did you get here?" 
"Hello, Shou." 
Just then, my sister returned, her face covered in sweat. Why was she sweaty? Likely because she'd just finished carrying her fish tank over to our neighbour's house. You see, the fish would hardly survive going without food for the few days our house was going to be vacant, and because of that, she'd asked the old woman living next door to take care of them while we were gone. She really liked animals, that girl. 
So much so that she's even taken this weird creature in, I thought to myself while pinching a strand of Yashiro's fluffy hair between my fingertips. 
The combination of its texture and the light it emitted made it seem like it could easily be used as material for making ornaments and other crafts. 
"Would you like a taste?" Yashiro asked, offering the ice cream to my sister as well. Just like me, she too took a bite of it. 
Enjoying the taste of strawberry, the girl then turned her eyes towards me. 
"Dad said to tell you that we're leaving right now." 
"Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." 
I quickly rolled Yashiro off my lap and picked up the bag I'd prepared earlier. 
Given that we were simply going to be visiting my grandparents, I hadn't really taken all that much stuff with me. 
Now, if this was a trip to the ocean like that one Hino had gone on, that'd be a completely different story. I would likely need a second bag, or maybe even a third. 
After making sure that the windows were locked up, I headed towards the front door along with my sister. 
My parents were already waiting for us outside. 
"Sure took your time." 
It was Mom who spoke, almost sounding like a stereotypical street punk for some reason. Why was she acting that way? I wasn't quite sure. Then again, I suppose it wasn't really out of the ordinary as far as she was concerned. 
Ignoring her, I put my shoes on and stepped outside myself. 
"Now then, time to go. Well, before that..." 
There was something which needed to be resolved first. Instantly, all of our eyes turned towards Yashiro, standing there while staring back at us. She didn't seem to find the situation one bit strange, instead choosing to focus on licking her ice cream. 
"Hey", I called out to her after an awkward moment of silence. Softly, the girl tottered over to me. 
"What is it?" 
"Well, it's not really anything, but..." 
There was something about Yashiro's appearance, the way she stared our family with round eyes that made it difficult for me to decide what to say. Her blue pupils brought to mind the image of a globe when she opened them like that. 
A globe which trembled gently. 
"Are you all leaving together?" 
"Yes, we are." 
It was my sister who spoke, going out of her way to imitate Yashiro's way of speaking. I also took the opportunity to nod my head. 
"Oh, I see now." 
Had she really not noticed before? That was the impression I was left with. I figured she must have figured that something was up since everyone was busy getting things ready around her, but I guess not. 
"Well, in that case, enjoy your journey. I will watch over your house while you are gone." 
Apparently she still didn't understand what was going on. It kinda annoyed me, if I'm being completely honest. 
Putting genuine force into it, I grabbed her and tossed her outside our house. 
"Why?" 
"Because, even if you are sometimes treated like it, you're not actually part of our family." 
Plus, we'd have to ask the old lady next door to check on her daily, almost like she was a pet. 
That being said, I couldn't really imagine her doing anything bad. She'd probably just sleep a bunch. 
"I'll buy you a souvenir. Just be a good girl while we're gone, okay?" 
"I'm always good!" 
To finish off, my sister gave her head a quick pat. It really did make her look older than she was when she did that. Also, I had to say, it was quite strange how much pride Yashiro appeared to be taking in her comment. 
A souvenir, huh? Was it really a good idea to promise something like that all willy-nilly? 
I mean, our grandparents lived on the countryside. And I do mean actual countryside, the kind where you'd be hard-pressed to find a store, the kind that was increasingly rare these days. 
You barely saw any traffic lights there. Or people for that matter. Or cars. 
That left me with a question: What was there then? 
"......" 
A friend. 
A friend who I'd made ten years ago. 
Meeting him used to bring me endless joy. And yet, at some point, things had changed. 
These days, my heart was filled with an equal amount of misery and comfort. 
As if the bottom of my heart had been covered in rocks, I'd begun experiencing pain as well. 
"I'll be waiting for the souvenir." 
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be sure to bring you something." 
With Yashiro seeing us off, I got inside the car. What was even going on here? Honestly, I wasn't quite sure. 
I'd barely sat down when my phone rang with a text from Adachi. What might she have to say? I quickly opened the message, although let's just say, its contents didn't exactly answer my question. 
"What the heck is this?" 
It was a heart. That's all. No other text. Hmm... Did she perhaps mean to send something else? 
That might be a possibility, although it was hard for me to imagine what that something else might be that got converted into a heart by accident. 
A heart as red as a strawberry. 
Was she perhaps wishing me a safe journey? No, that didn't seem right either. 
"Hmm... Well, whatever." 
There was no need to think about it so hard. Instead, I decided to simply accept the message at its face value. 
I went ahead and sent her a heart back. 
With that done, it was time to lean back in my seat and let the car carry me away. 
Like a giant eyelid, the summer sun shining in through the window covered me in its glare. 

Today's Adachi 

Should I attach a heart to the end of the message? I wasn't quite sure. 
I put it on to see what it would look like and... Whoa! It really stood out. 
Were I to send Shimamura something like this, it would no doubt catch her attention. 
I better delete it right away... Ah! Oh no! I accidentally sent just the heart!